The day started off with a meditation. That was great for me. Slav lead it in a way that made it very accessible to all. I don’t think he called it a meditation. He just got us in our bodies, and feeling present. After some introductions, we started the awakening the dreamer symposium. Slav acknowledged a few times that this information may not be new for some of us. This really helped me stay connected to the information and the whole process. I felt like my intelligence was being respected. The folks in the video from Pachamama seemed very wise and responsible. The lesson from the video was something like “we think we’re separate, and that is the illusion plaguing us all.” I am not sure they presented a solution to that problem. My solution is to meditate on the Dharma.
We did some follow-up exercises around imagining what it’s like to talk to our great-grandchildren about what we did and how we struggled to save the planet during its time of need. It felt very useful to think about our victory as if it had already happened. It’s a perspective that will help us make the dream become a reality. Without that imagined future perspective, our hope lies in a world of doubt and possibility. This way it is a vision, like Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.
Jonathon came in and led the group in some living systems exercises. Everyone was engaged and excited to see systems theory laid out in front of them. We all made observations about the way systems play out. With the help of Jonathon, we thought about the world of gardening, interpersonal relations, and the universe with the new goggles of living systems theory. This juicy material could be referred back to for the rest of the PDC course. I hope we visit those activities again.
The holonic description of systems had me intrigued. No system is closed. Even when it seems closed, you can see that it is dependent on or at least influenced by systems outside. There are systems inside of systems inside of systems.
We, as living systems, are dependent on self-correcting feedback loops. As humans, we can choose to say no to feelings. We can turn away. This is the root of our problem with the planet. If we allowed ourselves to feel, then we’d take actions toward healing ourselves. This is the way our feedback loop is meant to work. Compassion is unavoidable when we don’t turn away. But since we have many ways to shut down around feeling, we are beating ourselves nearly unto death. We don’t want to experience “negative” emotions, but those are the very evidence that we care, and the pathway toward healing. We can invite those feelings of grief about the destruction of the planet. We are lucky to have this feedback loop between us and the living system we live in. Just as we are lucky to have the feedback loop with the cells that live within us. When the cells stop communicating with us, like with cancer, the systems within systems die.
Jonathon raised many questions for us to ponder. How much do you focus on fighting against and fighting within the beaurocratic system, and how much do you create a new system?
We got to do yoga twice a day! Amazing. The teacher really knew her stuff. That’s the kind of physiological knowledge I’m looking for in a yoga teacher.
The bowl of tears exercise was pretty powerful for me. People ritualistically thinking about others, and being vulnerable in front of the group is a requisite for sustainable community.
I love the emphasis on applying permaculture and systems theory to every aspect of life, from running a business, to solving a problem, to community building. I am hopeful and excited about the diversity of tactics we can use to infiltrate the world with permaculture.
- Anthony M.
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